Jeanette was born Jeanne Arnau on Nov 25, 1917 in a lying-in in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, where the small community of French immigrants had settled in New York City. Jeanne was the only child of Jeanne Rigaut and her husband Dominique Arnau, who walked to the midwifery in a snowstorm since they could not get a cab. The couple had settled in Manhattan temporarily, and little Jeanne was baptized in the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, where they had married two years before by the French speaking priest. Both she and her mother had as their Saint Jeanne d'Arc, the patroness of France, but the name Jeanette suited the baby well and she used it for the rest of her life. Since her parents were only just learning English, Jeanette was taught French as her first language and did not learn much English till she went to school.
When Jeanette was 5 her family settled in Lodi, New Jersey. Her parents took the job of running the executive dinning room for the United Piece Dye Works, and Jeanette helped her mother in the kitchen in the afternoons after school. About that time the Arnau family became good friends with the Laguerre family through the circle of French people working for the United. At one of their gatherings Jeanette met André, one of the Laguerre sons. It was not love at first sight; that would come later.
(to be continued)
When Jeanette was 5 her family settled in Lodi, New Jersey. Her parents took the job of running the executive dinning room for the United Piece Dye Works, and Jeanette helped her mother in the kitchen in the afternoons after school. About that time the Arnau family became good friends with the Laguerre family through the circle of French people working for the United. At one of their gatherings Jeanette met André, one of the Laguerre sons. It was not love at first sight; that would come later.
(to be continued)
Jeanette was born Jeanne Arnau on Nov 25, 1917 in a lying-in in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, where the small community of French immigrants had settled in New York City. Jeanne was the only child of Jeanne Rigaut and her husband Dominique Arnau, who walked to the midwifery in a snowstorm since they could not get a cab. The couple had settled in Manhattan temporarily, and little Jeanne was baptized in the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, where they had married two years before by the French speaking priest. Both she and her mother had as their Saint Jeanne d'Arc, the patroness of France, but the name Jeanette suited the baby well and she used it for the rest of her life. Since her parents were only just learning English, Jeanette was taught French as her first language and did not learn much English till she went to school.
When Jeanette was 5 her family settled in Lodi, New Jersey. Her parents took the job of running the executive dinning room for the United Piece Dye Works, and Jeanette helped her mother in the kitchen in the afternoons after school. About that time the Arnau family became good friends with the Laguerre family through the circle of French people working for the United. At one of their gatherings Jeanette met André, one of the Laguerre sons. It was not love at first sight; that would come later.
(to be continued)
When Jeanette was 5 her family settled in Lodi, New Jersey. Her parents took the job of running the executive dinning room for the United Piece Dye Works, and Jeanette helped her mother in the kitchen in the afternoons after school. About that time the Arnau family became good friends with the Laguerre family through the circle of French people working for the United. At one of their gatherings Jeanette met André, one of the Laguerre sons. It was not love at first sight; that would come later.
(to be continued)
